


Origins of The League

by pinkpallet



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: AppealShipping, Brock with OC, ColdCoffeeShipping, Contestshipping, M/M, Orangeshipping - Freeform, Palletshipping, main focus will be pallet, mostly in the adventure genre, no bashing of any character, past!Amourshipping, slowburn for all the pairings, takes place in future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-09 10:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15265536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkpallet/pseuds/pinkpallet
Summary: When Pokémon Master Ash agreed to write a book with Lance he didn't expected things to take such a drastic turn. Now he and Gary are thrown into a spiral of adventure and danger where they have to find out, in which region did the Pokémon league originated for the first time? A series of mysterious events follow, which involve everyone and everything that Ash holds dear, especially a certain young researcher.





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:- I do not own Pokémon or any related characters or places. This fanfiction is being written for fun and enjoyment only. And no money is being made from this.**

**Author Note:- This takes places in the anime-verse. Ash and co. are in their late twenties and almost all of them have achieved their goals.**

**Chapter One:- Dealing with Duties**

* * *

 

Gary Oak looked out of the tiny window of his overtly stuffed up lab and let out a low sigh. He had currently drowned his fourth cup of coffee and was about to go through his seventh assignment of the week. One of the perks of being a world-renowned researcher meant that almost every important research project wasn't finished without his input in it.

But it had a downside too. An overload of work and lack of sleep. His grandfather often warned him that if he continued his lifestyle in the current manner, then he would soon end up with blood pressure and other ailments way before he himself had them. Not that he ever wanted it for his gramps. But then again, Gary didn't wanted it for himself either.

He knew he needed to take a break. But when and how were the important questions here.

" _Umbreon_!" he heard the familiar bark of his favorite companion. Not that you should have any favorites amongst your Pokémon. That was pretty unprofessional. But sometimes, people forged a special bond with one of their Pokémon and for Gary, Umbreon was that Pokémon

"What is it Umbreon?" Gary asked her.

"Um-breon!" she wagged her beautiful black tail and in the dim light of the lab, the shiny rings on her body lit up. Gary, too busy staring at her beautiful rings, only realized a moment too late, that she was carrying something in her mouth.

"Oh, that's my smartphone," he slowly understood, "Is there a message from someone important?"

The Pokémon nodded her head and wagged her tail eagerly.

Gary took his phone from her and checked the recent notifications. Right on the top was a message from someone who, even though Gary would never admit it, made his heart skip a beat just by reading the name. It was his favorite person in the world. The one and only. Ashy-boy.

It read- _Hey Gary, are you free? We can go out for a bite this evening._

Without even thinking, Gary responded- _Sure. Will meet you at Viridian Plaza at six pm._

Viridian City was where Ash was currently stationed. Well, he had to travel all over the world because of the unique position of his job, but currently he was in Viridian.

Gary was in Pallet which was just a few hours ride from Viridian. In a car that is. On foot it was an entirely different story.

But then Gary remembered. What about his enormous workload? Could he really afford taking an evening off? Just then, Ash's smiling face flashed before his eyes and he decided that definitely, one evening wasn't really much.

An hour later, he was dressed in his best casual clothes. A green t-shirt with a black jacket and black jeans. He hoped this would impress Ash.

'Relax Gary, it's not as if you are going on a date or anything,' he mentally scolded himself.

"So, where is my little boy going off to, all dressed up?" Professor Oak asked from the couch, the moment Gary stepped in the living room.

"I am not a little boy anymore gramps," Gary said, rolling his eyes, "I am twenty-eight in case you have forgotten."

"Oh, I haven't forgotten. But sometimes I feel like you have forgotten that you are still young. Maybe you should let your hair down every once in a while, especially when you have a habit of adding gel to it like that," his grandfather smirked, glancing at his gelled hair.

"Nice pun," Gary remarked, "But I am getting late. Ashy must be waiting."

"Oh, you are going to visit Ash, eh? Say hi to him from me. He is just like you. Always busy with work, and no time for family, friends or this poor old man," Professor Oak lamented.

"I'll ask him to call you," Gary promised, " Bye gramps! See ya later!"

With that he hurried out of the house, and into the warm afternoon air of Pallet town. He went straight to their little garage where his red sports car was parked. With luck he would reach Viridian in time, and would be able to catch up with his long time rival-turned-friend.

* * *

 

 Ash Ketchum was sitting in his very own office in Viridian City. Yes, being a Pokémon Master meant that he got an office in every major city and town across the world. He could literally choose to be in Johto tomorrow, and Hoenn after that, and maybe Kalos after that.

At twenty-eight, Ash Ketchum was the strongest trainer in the world. He had beaten every single Champion multiple times, and was totally deserving of the title of Pokémon Master. Okay, and he had saved countless legendaries, taken down several evil organizations and basically saved the world so many times that he definitely deserved to be called a superhero by now, but Ash preferred to keep these other feats of his a secret.

He wanted his success to be strictly based on how good he was with Pokémon. Nothing else.

"Pikapi," a soft squeak from his shoulder pulled him out of his musings.

"Hey buddy, you feeling well now?" Ash asked his trusted electric companion.

"Pika!" he answered. Ash had faced a challenger in the morning, and although Pikachu had alone been enough to beat all of the challenger's Pokémon, it had still tired out the yellow mouse. He had taken a well-earned nap after that.

Ash looked at the schedule mailed to him by his secretary and sighed. He had a meeting with Lance in fifteen minutes and he knew that the Kanto Champion could be very demanding and persuasive when he wanted to be. In fact, it was exactly because of this behavior of Lance's, that Ash was forced to co-write a book about Kanto region with him. Not that he didn't enjoyed doing so, he loved his home-region and writing about it was a source of joy for him.

Ash straightened his suit, he really hated wearing formal clothes but his secretary insisted that he should, and adjusted the cap on his head. If there was one thing he was never going to change about his appearance, it was his cap. Caps gave him confidence and reminded him of his old travelling days, that's why he always made it a point to wear one.

Soon enough, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter!" Ash called out.

Lance entered his office, looking as calm and badass as ever. The red-head gave his office a once-over before shaking his head and saying, "Really Ash? Red, blue and green again? Don't you get tired of the same color scheme for all of your offices in every city?"

"It helps me to relax," Ash replied. Something about this meeting with Lance was making him uneasy. In fact, he was so nervous that he even forgot to offer a chair to Lance.

But Lance didn't seem to mind. He just casually strolled inside, and sat on a plush velvet chair on the other side of the rich mahogany table, opposite from Ash. Oh yes, the league spent a lot of money on Ash. Being a Pokémon Master was a big deal. He was their biggest find in the last hundred years, or so they said.

"So, how is the book doing?" Ash asked, just to start some conversation.

"Very well indeed! With both of our names as the authors, it is already making record-breaking sales," Lance told him. But Ash could tell that his excitement masked something else. Sadness? Fear? It was hard to tell.

"Is there a problem?" Ash asked nervously.

"Well, you see," Lance started, scratching his cheek, "When I was a kid, I had heard stories from my grandparents about how the concept of a Pokémon league first originated in Kanto. So I thought, it would be nice to mention that in the book. Apparently, it didn't went down too well with people from other regions."

"Uh, but you had told me that you had a lot of proof about the league originating in Kanto. So why not just show this proof to the people from other regions?" Ash asked feeling confused. He remembered how confident Lance had looked back when they were writing the book.

"Not actual proof nope. I just have stories told by my dead grandparents to support what I wrote. I never thought it would become such a big deal," Lance said.

Ash sighed. He never should have trusted him blindly. But then again, this was Lance, the famous dragon-type Champion, also Ash's childhood hero. If Ash can't trust him, then who can he trust in the league again?

"How much of a big deal has it became?" Ash asked him.

"Eh, not too much. Just people from different regions wanting us to apologize for spreading misinformation is all," Lance clarified.

"Well, that's not a big deal I guess," Ash replied, " We can issue a joint-apology." He knew that none of this was his fault, but since he had co-authored the book, he was going to face the brunt too.

"We will do no such thing!" Lance exclaimed, and slammed his fist on the table, "Do you have any idea Ash how much of face-value Kanto would lose if two of its strongest trainers have to apologize to people from other regions? We would be mocked everywhere!"

"Well then do you have a better idea?" Ash asked feeling annoyed. He certainly could not see what was such a big deal about apologizing. He had always been bad at these political games.

"Right now, no. But I'll think of something and call on you again. I came just now only to warn you," Lance told him.

"Warn me about what?" Ash asked.

"There are people from other regions living here in Kanto. And they are angry. At both of us. You might want to watch your back," Lance told him.

A cold dread filled Ash's stomach as Lance got up and left his office as abruptly as he had came.

Ash kept telling himself that there was nothing to worry about. He had a strong team of Pokémon with him. Plus, the league provided him with bodyguards as well. Same with Lance. Both of them would remain safe. Or so he hoped.

To distract himself from these worries he decided to meet one of his friends. He thought for some time. He had met Misty only last week. Brock was supposed to be on a vacation with his fiancé. And Tracey had gone to Orange Islands to meet his family. The rest of his friends lived in different regions.

Just then Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and landed on the table in front of him. The impact with which he landed made a stack of magazines fall from the side of the table.

"Pika," the yellow rodent nervously apologized.

"Oh, it's okay Pikachu. I'll pick it up," Ash said and bent down to pick up the magazines. Just then his eyes fell on the front cover of the issue of a biology magazine. There smiling on the cover was none other than his childhood-friend-turned-rival-turned-friend Gary Oak.

"Right, problem solved!" Ash exclaimed. He decided he'll meet Gary. He hadn't met his old friend in a long time and there was a lot of catching up to do. Plus, it'll help to take his mind off the recent problem.

So, he sent a text message to Gary which said- _Hey Gary, are you free? We can go out for a bite this evening._

A couple of minutes passed, during which Ash felt like he was being unnecessarily worried and tense. But then Gary's reply came, which read- _Sure. Will meet you at Viridian Plaza at six pm._

Ash let out a happy sigh. Gary was agreeing to meet him. He was making out time from his ridiculously busy schedule just to meet Ash.  And that was great.

Ash hoped everything would go well. Little did he knew, how wrong he was.

* * *

 

**Note:- Hope you all loved it! Kudos and comments are much appreciated. This is my first time posting on ao3, although I have posted on other sites before, so constructive criticism would also be very much appreciated. :D**


	2. A Mission For Two

**Note:- Hey everyone! Thanks for those views, comment and kudos. I still don't know the functioning of ao3 properly, but I am slowly learning it! Also, I hope you all enjoy this chapter too!. :)**

**Chapter 2:- A Mission For Two**

* * *

 

Gary Oak parked his red sports car in a corner of the Viridian plaza and hopped out of it like an eager Buneary. He was definitely excited to meet Ash again. It had been three years since they'd last seen each other.

He still remembered when they had met the previous time. They were both twenty-five. And it was Gary's birthday. And most importantly, it was Ash who had thrown a surprise birthday party for him. Okay, maybe it was because Professor Oak, Tracey and Ash's mom had insisted. But still the gesture was important. And the memory was too special for Gary. Besides, Gary knew that Ash being Ash, he would have done it regardless.

"Hey Gary, over here!" a cheery voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up and found Ash dressed in a suit and tie, with Pikachu on his shoulder, standing outside a five-star hotel called Mew's Majestic Meals.

Gary crossed the road and walked over to him. The moment he was close enough, Ash pulled him into a tight hug. Gary hugged him back. But then realized after some time that he was blushing and immediately let go.

"Seriously Ashy, you know that cap is looking ridiculous with the suit, right?" Gary teased him, just like he did in the old days.

"Huh, we meet after three years and the first thing you say is a cutting remark on my fashion sense?" Ash spoke in a mock-angry tone. But smiled a few seconds later.

Their bitter old rivalry had turned into a friendly banter these days. Something that they both enjoyed.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Ash said with a smile, and taking Gary's hand in his, lead him inside the hotel.

'Wow, this feels almost like a date', Gary thought to himself, then quickly mentally slapped himself.

The moment they entered the hotel, Gary was amazed by its grandeur and ambience. Of course he had seen a lot of magnificent hotels himself, but Mew's Majestic Meals looked like something else.

"It's a good thing my recent project paid me a lot, because I would hate to use gramps's money again," Gary commented.

"Actually, I want to pay this time," Ash replied, and flashed a golden credit card with a toothy smile.

Gary couldn't believe it. He knew the league paid Ash a lot. He was their star after all. But he didn't knew how much.

"You sure?" Gary asked.

"Obviously," Ash answered, rolling his eyes. Ash then talked to a waiter, who provided them with a table-for-two almost immediately. Gary wondered whether Ash had reserved beforehand, or whether this was the charm of being a Pokémon Master.

Gary was just going through the menu-card when Ash said, "Can I order the dishes today, please?"

"Yeah, sure," Gary replied. He didn't see a problem with that, especially when Ash was the one who was going to pay the bill.

Ash took the menu and ordered- chicken lasagna, chicken noodles, meat pie and vegetable soup. Also, chocolate pudding for desert.

Gary's eyes remained wide with surprise. "Hey! Those are all my favorite dishes!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, you always tease me about forgetting stuff. So I wanted to show off how good my memory is. I remembered this from our childhood," Ash answered sincerely.

"Well, I guess I can't tease you again for forgetting anything. And thanks for the treat Ashy," Gary laughed. But on the inside he was melting. The fact that Ash had remembered his favorite dishes after so many years was enough to make him blush and swoon like a teenage girl. In fact, it took all of his dignity to not do exactly that.

"No problem Gary," Ash replied and winked at him. Gary's heart did another double-take. Did Ash just winked at him. And did he do it on purpose? Or was it more likely that Ash was completely oblivious to his flirtatious habits and the effects they were having on Gary? On second thought, the later was a more likely option.

Soon the food arrived and both of them dug into it eagerly. Gary let out Umbreon out of her Pokéball, and she and Pikachu played with each other and also ate some of their food. Ash and Gary exchanged a lot of stories while eating, they had a lot to fill each other up about.

Ash finally got to the story about his new book with Lance and Gary nodded. "Yeah, I have seen ads of that book on T.V. and newspapers. But I think, lately people are mad about it, aren't they?"

"That's the whole problem man," Ash groaned, "Lance casually mentioned in the book that Pokémon leagues first started in Kanto. But the people of other regions have taken this way too seriously. They either want concrete proof or an apology. And Lance being Lance doesn't want to apologize."

"That's a rather tough problem," Gary admitted, "I'll see if Gramps has any solution for it. Oh, and Ash, you should really call Gramps one of these days. He misses you a lot!"

"I know! I am sorry Gary. I am just so busy these days. I don't have time for anything," Ash lamented.

"I can understand that. I am in a similar situation too. Busy with work all the time," Gary gave him an understanding smile.

Once they had finished eating, Ash paid the bill, and they walked out of the restaurant.

This time Gary was the one who initiated the hug, because who knew when he would get to see Ash again?

"Goodbye Ashy. It was nice catching up with you. Take care," he said.

"You too Gary. Take care and good bye," Ash replied.

Gary had crossed the road and was just about to hop like a hoppip back into his car (Yes he loved to hop. No he didn't liked opening doors of cars like a normal person would), when he heard a shout from behind him. He turned around and saw that a mob had surrounded Ash. Now it was fairly normal for Ash to get surrounded by fans every day, but this looked more like an angry mob.

"How dare you lie in the book? Johto was the region where Pokémon league had originiated!" someone in the mob shouted loudly.

Another shouted that it was in fact in Unova.

Another said it had started in Sinnoh.

Gary realized that this was about the controversy over the book. He quickly crossed the road again, rushing to get Ash out of this.

"Listen everyone, we can sort this out-" Ash started, but it was too late. Someone threw a well-aimed stone at him, and if Pikachu hadn't used iron-tail in time to deflect the stone, it would have hurt Ash badly. Gary realized those people were carrying more stones.

"Have you got any other Pokémon with you?" he whispered to Ash.

"Nope, just Pikachu. And he is tired after facing a challenger today," Ash replied.

"What about your bodyguards?" Gary asked again.

"They had to leave for some urgent business. Even I don't know where exactly they went," Ash answered.

"Okay then, we are gonna make a run for my car. And I am gonna drive straight to Pallet, without any halt. You understand?" Gary asked.

 Ash nodded.

Now, they just needed a distraction.

"Hey, Lance is over there, maybe he can answer some questions!" Gary shouted pointing in the opposite direction. The crowd immediately turned to stare and search for Lance.

Gary grabbed Ash's hand and together they dashed towards his car and jumped inside it. Gary started the engine and off they went. Some of the crowd realized that they had been fooled and tried to follow the car, but they were no match for Gary's speed or his car's speed for that matter, and were easily left behind.

"Good job Gary, I think we lost them," Ash said.

"Yeah, I hope so," Gary, always the cautious one, was not feeling too optimistic.

"I can't believe this!" Ash exclaimed, "I have travelled in all these regions. The people over there are nice and peaceful. I can't imagine them throwing stones at me for something small like this!"

"Who started the Pokémon league might be a big and sensitive topic. But still, you are right. I can't imagine the usually peaceful population becoming so violent over something like this," Gary remarked.

He continued driving in silence for a while contemplating about the day's events. Not for even a second could he have imagined that his and Ash's meeting would end up like this.

Just then, Ash shouted, "Hold on! Do you see something behind us?"

"Ash I am driving. I am supposed to look forward not behind," but still Gary turned around and immediately let out a loud yelp.

Some people were chasing them on Fearow and Rhyhorn. The loud screeching of the Fearow and the equally loud thumping of Rhyhorn on the ground scared him.

"What do we do Gary?" Ash asked him.

"I don't know! You are the Pokémon Master over here. Think something!" Gary shouted back.

"Pikachu, distract them with your thunderbolt. But don't use it too harshly. We don't want to hurt civilians," Ash told him.

Pikachu did as he was ordered. He started sending bolts of thunder in all directions which succesfully managed to confuse the Rhyhorn and Fearow. Meanwhile, Gary pressed his foot on the accelerator of his car and raced it down the road at top speed.

He didn't slowed down until he could see the houses of Pallet town and the roof of his and Prof. Oak's lab in the distance.

"We are finally here," he said to Ash with a smile, who returned it. But he looked worried. Gary couldn't blame him.

"Do you want to visit your mother first?" Gary asked him.

"No, I think I'll talk to Prof. Oak first and then go home. I need to discuss this whole mess with him," Ash said.

Gary nodded, he understood.

He parked the car outside his house and they walked in. He thought he would see his grandpa eating his dinner and watching some late night research documentry on T.V., what he was not expecting though was finding the entire Elite Four of the Kanto league in his living room busy in a chat with his grandfather.

"What's going on here?" Ash spoke before Gary even had a chance to voice his surprise. He was actually quite surprised by the tone of authority in Ash's voice. He sounded like a Pokémon Master and not his friend.

"Ah, Ash. Good to see you back. And that too with Gary," Professor Oak spoke with a smile.

"Hello Ash. And nice to meet you Gary," Agatha, the senior most member of the Elite Four spoke.

"Nice to meet you too ma'am, but what is going on here?" Gary asked.

"That's right, are you having a secret meeting without telling me?" Ash asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"Yes and no Ash," Bruno laughed, "We _are_ having a secret meeting. But you were going to find out about it anyways since you are the topic of this meeting."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked, sounding confused. Gary too was finding all of this really confusing.

"Well, you see, Lance here put us all in a bit of a mess. Especially you. The news-channels are going on and on about the public attacking you. So we came to Professor Oak for advice and some planning," Bruno explained.

"What sort of planning?" Ash asked.

"Look Ash, we can't apologize. That's out of question. But what we can do is give them concrete proof that the league format indeed originated in Kanto. I trust what my grandparents told me. Now you are the strongest trainer in the world, and Gary here is the best researcher. Together, the two of you can find some proof for us," Lance suggested, putting forth one of his most charming smiles.

"Wait what? Did _gramps_ suggested this?" Gary looked at his grandfather, feeling horrified.

"I am sorry Gary. But the thing is that, I trust you. Over the years, I have seen you unearth all sorts of secrets and clues and solve many mysteries. Ash has solved a lot of mysteries too. If the two of you work together then we might be able to gather some concrete proof," Professor Oak said.

"But what if Kanto _isn't_ where the leagues started? What if Lance is wrong to begin with?" Gary asked his doubts.

"Lance cannot be wrong," Lorelei stated simply, "I have full faith in him."

"Thanks Lorelei, you are the only one here who isn't mad at me," Lance said to her.

"No!" Ash exclaimed suddenly.

"No, what?" everyone asked.

"I am not dragging Gary into this. This could be dangerous. If you want me to find proof, fine, I'll go on my own. Or you all can come with me, especially you Lance, since this started because of you. But not Gary. Leave him out of this," Ash said firmly.

"Do you think I don't feel guilty as it is? Do you think I don't want to come as well?" Lance asked back angrily, "But I can't! None of the Elite Four can come, since the Indigo League starts in a week and we have to be present over there. But you are the Pokémon Master, free to go wherever you want, whenever you want. So we thought you would be the right person for the job."

"Fine, but not Gary," Ash growled.

Gary was touched by Ash's caring nature. But he felt like he needed to say something.

"It's fine Ash. I am an expert at finding clues and proof. I'll be a great help and I can handle danger. Besides, I really want to come," he said.

"When was the last time you battled with your Pokémon?" Ash asked straightaway.

"Do you think I have given up on battling all together?" Gary asked, feeling surprised, "I still train regularly Ash. Not as a profession maybe, but as a hobby."

It seemed like Ash didn't had anymore arguments to put forward.

"Fine," he said, " Where should we start this proof-hunt mission?"

"I think Cinnabar island would be the best place. After me and Agatha, Blaine is the most knowledgeable person in Kanto. And he knows a lot about Kanto's history. He might be able to help," Professor Oak told them.

"Okay, we'll leave for Cinnabar tomorrow. I'll go home now, mom would love to see me back," Ash replied. He then turned towards Gary and said, "Be ready at six am sharp Professor Gary. I am not the kid who wakes up late anymore."

Ash winked at him again before leaving. Gary wasn't sure but for some reason the thought of going on an adventure with Ash was making him feel both excited and worried.

* * *

 

  **Note:- Hope you all loved it! Kudos and comments are much appreciated. :)**


	3. Cinnabar and Blaine

**Note:- Thanks for the comments and kudos! It means a lot! :)**

**Also, the riddle used by Blaine in this chapter is from the tumblr blog of pokemon-riddles. Their blog has really cool riddles so go check it out! :D**

**Another note, the history of ancient Kanto mentioned in this chapter is just made up by me for this story. It's not canon, so don't get confused, kay?**

**Chapter 3:- Cinnabar and Blaine**

* * *

 

Ash woke up at 4:30 am in the morning, and was pretty sure that he would be ready by six am. He showered, dressed and packed his bag in time. He carefully chose his five Pokémon other than Pikachu, as he was sure that this journey might involve dangers.

He was just about to leave for the Oak residence at five-thirty, when he heard his mother's voice from behind,

"Ash, are you going somewhere?" Delia Ketchum asked with a frown on her face.

"Uh, mom, sorry but I have to leave. There's an urgent mission," Ash tried to explain.

"But you just arrived yesterday!" Delia exclaimed.

"Yes but this is really important. I am sorry," Ash mumbled. He still occasionally felt like a ten-year old in front of his mother.

"Oh, okay then, but at least eat some breakfast before leaving. I'll make some pancakes," Delia said.

"Uh, I'll eat something on the way mom," Ash told her.

"No you very well won't Mr. Pokémon Master. You are not coming back to your house and leaving without even eating a breakfast. So, now sit and I'll make the pancakes," his mom insisted, and Ash simply couldn't say no.

Helplessly, he glanced at the clock, which showed that only twenty minutes remained to six, that was the time he was supposed to meet Gary. But then he smelt the delicious smell of the pancakes and forgot everything else.

His mom brought two huge stacks of pancakes from the kitchen, with chocolate syrup, honey, cherries and blueberries, for both him and Pikachu. They both dug into it greedily.

After they had finished eating, Ash hugged his mother and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks mom, now I'll leave!" he exclaimed.

"Wait a minute," she said, "Your friend Brock had called yesterday and he wanted to know your whereabouts, he was really happy to know that you are in Pallet itself. He wants to talk to you about something important. Won't you call him sweetie?"

Ash sighed. He really wanted to talk to Brock but this was just not the right time for it. Still he went upstairs in his room to make the call.

Brock chatted with him for twenty-five minutes about some rare medicines and other stuff that Ash neither cared nor had any idea about. He also looked worried about Ash as he seemed to have heard on news that Ash and Gary were attacked. Ash was touched by his friend's protective feelings and reassured him that he was fine. When he returned back, he looked at the clock. It was six-thirty. Gary was going to kill him. Or at least mock him.

"I really need to leave now mom, bye," he said hastily.

"Okay sweetie, goodbye and take care," his mom said with a sad smile on her face.

 Ash understood. He resolved that the next time he returned he would stay for much longer, but right now he really had some urgent business to attend to.

* * *

 

Gary Oak was tapping a foot on the ground impatiently. Or rather nervously, but he would never admit it aloud. Gary Oak was never nervous and anyone who told you otherwise was lying.

He almost wanted to call Umbreon out of her Pokéball just to give him some company and comfort. Ash was late. Or maybe he had left on his own. Maybe he had thought that Gary would be a liability. Someone rusty at battling. Someone whom Ash would have to look after all the time.

Gary wasn't even sure why all these questions were popping in his head. He did practiced battling from time-to-time after all. He was not rusty.

But then he remembered the way Ash had openly asked him about the last time he had battled in front of the Kanto Elite Four. There was a time when Ash used to look up to him, admire him even. Now he wondered whether Ash thought of him as pathetic.

"I'll show him I am still good enough, that is if he hasn't already left," Gary muttered to himself.

Just then he heard running footsteps and heavy panting coming in his direction. He looked up to find Ash dashing at a top speed and halting just a feet away from Gary at the last second to stop himself from tackling him.

"Where were you?" Gary asked, feeling a little annoyed but also happy that Ash hadn't started without him.

"Sorry, got hold up. First mom, then Brock. It's a long story," Ash panted.

"You sure you didn't just overslept again?" Gary asked rolling his eyes.

"What?! No way! I was up at four-thirty! Tell him Pikachu!" Ash said. But Pikachu was fast asleep on Ash's shoulder.

Gary laughed. These two hadn't changed much.

"Well, come inside. You clearly need to drink some water. And I don't think we should already start using the water which we have saved for the journey," Gary said.

So they went inside and Gary gave Ash a bottle of water from the fridge which Ash downed in just a few gulps. Gary thought he looked cute when he did silly things like that. Then he wondered, why on earth was he thinking of Ash Ketchum of all people as cute?

"Should we talk to Professor Oak before leaving?" Ash asked Gary.

"I don't think that's a good idea Ashy. Gramps is old and needs his sleep, plus he was awake till late yesterday telling me stuff about this Blaine person. So I think we should let him sleep," Gary suggested.

"That's fine with me," Ash said.

They left after that. Ash decided that the fastest way to reach Cinnabar was to hire a ferry from Pallet to Cinnabar.

"I'll just contact my secretary. She makes all arrangements for me these days," Ash told him.

Gary waited for a few minutes as Ash talked on the phone, finally he heard Ash's loud voice, "What?! What do you mean the league isn't going to pay for this mission? Do you expect me to do all the travelling on my own? And wait what, you are not going to help either? That's not fair!"

He then turned towards Gary and spoke in an embarrassed tone, "I am sorry, but apparently the league is busy with the Indigo Pokémon tournament coming up next week. So they can't afford the expenses of this mission at the same time as well. We'll have to make do on our own."

"That's fine. I do it all the time," Gary said, " And you used to do it in your trainer days too. So we'll just go in a public ferry then?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ash said.

Gary paid the fare of a public ferry and Ash pulled the cap low over his face so that no one recognizes him easily. The travel to Cinnabar was going to take around two hours of time.

The news of people attacking the Pokémon Master was floating all over the ferry and it reached Gary and Ash too. Ash had became red with embarrassment when he saw people laughing about the way the Pokémon Master had ran away from the scene.

"All Lance's fault," he muttered.

"Relax, it'll be over soon," Gary said in a soothing voice.

"How come no one over here recognizes you?" Ash asked Gary.

"Oh, only the cool crowd visits Cinnabar. Mostly because people think of it as a holiday destination. None of these people are likely to have ever opened a research journal in their life. Remember how I was when we'd first visited this place?" Gary asked him.

The nostalgic smile on Ash's face told him that Ash indeed remembered. Gary had been a bit of a jerk back then. He wasn't even ready to believe that there was a Pokémon gym on Cinnabar Island. He had changed a lot since his old Kanto days though.

The ferry finally reached Cinnabar and Ash and Gary climbed out of it.

"I remember where Blaine stays! I had to visit him several times over the past few years for league stuff," he told Gary.

"That's good for us," Gary said happily. The sooner they got over with this job, the better.

They started walking towards Blaine's residence excitedly. They had just reached what looked like a house when someone grabbed Gary from the behind with his collar and whispered in his ear, "The tallest of two, body entirely blue, can't breed the other. Who am I?"

Gary was about to shout in surprise. But then he thought calmly for some time and then replied, "A Sawk?"

"Correct!" the man exclaimed and jumped in front of him. He had long brown hair and mustache, wore an orange and blue shirt and shades. Gary wondered whoever this weirdo was.

"You must be Oak Junior, right? You never came to fight for the volcano badge back when you were a trainer. Got scared of the great Blaine, eh?" he asked with a smirk.

"I am not scared of anyone," Gary replied, feeling annoyed, "I just didn't knew that there was a gym over here is all."

"That's called ignorance son," the man spoke, smirking harder. Gary was literally fuming with annoyance now. You never called a researcher ignorant. They always hated that, this man seemed to know that very well.

"Blaine, you can drop that disguise now. We have got something important to discuss," Ash said to that man.

Gary was shocked. "Hang on! This man is Blaine?! But he looks too young!" he exclaimed with surprise.

The man named Blaine removed his wig and sunglasses and there stood in front of Gary the gym leader of Cinnabar island with his balding head of pure white hair.

"I am Blaine. Nice to meet you. And for correctly answering my riddle, I will discuss whatever this important stuff is. Although, I already have a fair bit of idea Ash. From the T.V. you see," Blaine said.

"Obviously," Ash muttered, "The whole of Kanto would be knowing about that embarrassing attack by now."

"You two can come inside, and we'll discuss this important matter," Blaine said and beckoned them towards the house.

 Ash and Gary followed him inside. Once they were seated, Blaine offered them tea and cookies. And special treats for their Pokémon.

Then Ash finally addressed the matter which had brought them over there. He told Blaine about the book that he and Lance had written, how Lance had casually mentioned about the origins of the Pokémon league and how it had started such a huge controversy.

"I personally don't understand what's wrong in just apologizing. But no, they want us to find proof that the leagues started in Kanto. And so they sent us to you, because you are very knowledgeable," Ash said to him.

"Okay, I'll help," Blaine said, "Here's what I know, Pokémon leagues have been a tradition of Kanto since times immemorial. But as far as my knowledge goes, the first and most ancient Pokémon league that ever happened in Kanto wasn't in the present-day Kanto, but in ancient Kanto."

"Ancient Kanto?" Ash asked.

"Yes, I mean it's the same region, just the names of cities and towns were different. If I am correct, the first Pokémon league had taken place in a city called Water City about five hundred years ago," Blaine told them.

"Water City, huh? Do you have any proof of this?" Ash asked him further.

"Alas, I don't have any proof. You'll have to go to present-day Water City to find proof," he told them.

"And present day Water City is where exactly?" Gary asked.

"I don't remember. But I have a map of ancient Kanto. We can compare it with present-day Kanto and find out what that place is called now. The map is in my gym if you are ready to come with me," he said.

"Sure! Why not," Gary said. But then he saw the nervous look on Ash's face.

"Ash, what's wrong?" he whispered discreetly.

"Nothing, it's just that-" but at that precise moment, Blaine got up and said,

"Come on, let's go to my gym and get that map!"

At first, Gary couldn't understand why Ash looked so nervous while walking all the way from Blaine's house to his gym. But as they slowly descended the stairs, realization hit him. Blaine's gym was inside an active volcano. The Cinnabar Volcano! Which was made up of burning hot lava and could erupt at any given moment.

His admiration for Ash knew no bounds once he saw that the Pokémon had to battle in a stadium right on top of the lava. And Ash had won under such extreme difficulties. That too when he was a newbie in Kanto. He truly deserved to be called a Pokémon Master.

Gary was so busy in his thoughts of admiring his Ashy-boy, that he didn't noticed when the floor ahead took a steep turn and his foot slipped. He yelled as he was about to fall head-first into a sea of lava but someone grabbed his arm and pulled him up. He looked up gratefully, expecting it to be Blaine, but it was Ash.

"You idiot! You could have gotten roasted and died! Weren't you paying any attention?!" he shouted.

"S-sorry, and thanks," Gary didn't knew what to say. He hadn't exactly needed much saving in his life, so such a situation was probably a first for him.

"It was really a mistake to bring you along. I should have thought about your safety first," Ash muttered to himself and walked past him.

Gary would never admit it aloud but he felt something wet and moist in his eyes. Never before had he felt so useless. He did had a flying-type Pokémon with him! He could have just used it! Why did he had to forget that and make a fool of himself before Ash? Maybe he was really getting rusty with all these adventure things?

They finally followed Blaine to a closet that was kept locked. Blaine took out a key and turned it roughly. The way it took some time for the closet to open, suggested to Gary that it hadn't been used in years.

Blaine took his time. Rummaging through old papers and documents, until he finally let out a victorious exclamation.

"Here!" he said, handling an old and worn-out looking map to Ash and Gary. There were lots of cities and towns marked on it. Gary saw where Blaine was pointing his finger, it read Water City.

"That's Cerulean," Ash breathed.

"Let me check," Gary said. He took out a modern map of Kanto from his bag and compared it with the old one. Sure the borders were slightly different, but it was Cerulean City alright. Ash had recognized it correctly.

"So that's where the first Pokémon league had happened," Ash stated.

"And that's where we are going next," Gary said.

 Ash looked a little doubtful. And for a moment Gary was worried that Ash would ask him to return home, but thankfully none of that happened. Ash just nodded and smiled at him.

* * *

 

**Note:- Hope you liked it! Comments and kudos are much appreciated! Also, there'll be Misty in next chapter! :)**

 


	4. Cerulean and Misty!

**Note:- Hey guys! Back with a new chapter! Hope you all love it! :)**

**Chapter 4:- Cerulean and Misty!**

* * *

 

Ash, Gary and Pikachu were sitting in the ferry that would take them back from Cinnabar to Pallet. They had a map of modern Kanto in front of them, and were currently planning their journey to Cerulean city.

"We can't go on foot," Ash ruled it out, "Mt. Moon takes a lot of time to get across. We would just be wasting time."

"We can use my car," Gary offered.

"No, I have a better idea. We will use our flying Pokémon. They can fly really fast. I have sometimes flown across regions on my Charizard. I mean they need breaks obviously, but they are still faster than other means," Ash suggested.

"Hmm, I have my Skarmory with me," Gary told him. But the thing was, he hadn't ridden on Skarmory in several years. Last time he had rode on him was at least eight years ago. So Gary wasn't feeling quite confident enough right now. Not that he would ever admit it aloud.

Once they reached land and paid the fare for the ferry, Ash tossed a Pokéball in the air and out came his huge dragon-like fire-type Pokémon, Charizard. Ash then looked at Gary expectantly.

Gary tossed his Pokéball in the air as well and his trusted Skarmory, a steel-type bird, came out of it.

"Cool! I had forgotten that you had a Skarmory too!" Ash exclaimed.

They both mounted their respective Pokémon. Gary grasped Skarmory's steel-feathers a little too tightly and the Pokémon let out a harsh noise. Gary immediately loosened his grip.

"You remember how to fly right? Or you can just sit behind me if you want?" Ash asked him looking a little worried.

"Of course I remember Ashy-boy, don't worry about me," Gary said with as much of fake confidence as he could muster.

With a roar and a screech their respective Pokémon took off in the air. Gary knew that Ash must be knowing the direction to Cerulean by heart as his close friend Misty lived there. So he decided to let him lead. Not that he had much of a choice anyways, he could barely stop himself from falling from his Skarmory, much less lead the way.

They had flown for more than three hours now, and Gary accidentally did the fatal mistake of looking down. From this height what he saw made him feel instantly dizzy and he feared that he might fall off from Skarmory. So he clutched Skarmory's wings more tightly, completely forgetting that his Pokémon did not like that.

Skarmory let out a loud screech and started swaying in mid-air. Gary lost his balance and fell down, clutching onto Skarmory's leg for dear life.

"Gary, are you alright? Hold on!" Ash shouted and he and Charizard rushed towards him.

But it was too late. With the way Skarmory was swaying, Gary easily lost his hold and fell right from a height of several hundred feet. He was shouting loudly, sure that he was going to die, but just then, something orange flew beneath him and Ash scooped him in his arms full bridal style.

For a moment they both stared at each other. Then Ash whispered, "You idiot! You absolute idiot! If anything had happened to you today, what was I going to do?"

Gary didn't knew what he meant by that. All that he knew was that Ash was holding him in his arms, which reminded him of a certain infamous incident from Viridian City Gym. His head was pressed closed to Ash's chest. And he could hear his heartbeat thundering in his chest. He was clearly panicked and worried about Gary. The closeness and proximity between them made Gary blush.

He was completely lost in the moment, that is until Ash shouted at him,

"Are you even listening what I am saying Gary?! You could have died! You are being so careless today, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Sorry, and thanks for saving me, again," Gary mumbled.

"Please don't make me do it a third time," Ash said in response.

 After that Gary called back Skarmory and for the rest of the ride he meekly sat behind Ash not uttering a single word. Ash on the other hand was muttering an endless tide of how much careless Gary had became these days and how he should try to become more like his earlier self.

After an hour they decided to take a break. Just at the top of Mt. Moon. They decided that they would lit a fire and eat some roasted meal and then continue on their journey which was only a couple of hours away now.

"Careful with the matchsticks. Don't want you to start a forest-fire now," Ash said to Gary.

"Jeez Ash, I know how to light a fire, okay! And how the hell can a forest-fire start on top of a mountain, where there aren't even any trees to begin with?" Gary almost shouted at him.

He had no idea why Ash was behaving in an almost jerkish manner with him. He kept talking about how much Gary had changed, but had he ever paid attention to how much he had changed over the years. Maybe becoming a Pokémon Master has gone to his head, Gary concluded to himself.

"Just didn't wanted you to get hurt again is all," Ash muttered. But he became very quiet after Gary's outburst and they ate their lunch of roasted chicken in silence.

After that they continued their journey, with Gary once again sitting behind Ash on top of Charizard. The warm afternoon air, and Ash's heavy cologne soon started making him feel drowsy and he fell asleep on Ash's shoulder.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he soon heard Ash's voice asking him to wake up.

"Gary! Gary, wake up! We are here!" he heard Ash say.

"Pikapichu!" Pikachu added.

Gary woke up and realized that Charizard had finally landed on the ground, in front of a huge building with a statue of a seal on top of it. They were at the Cerulean City Gym. He also realized that it was almost evening. He could see the sun ready to set behind some distant buildings.

"Let's get down and give Misty a surprise!" Ash said excitedly.

Gary smiled, but then he noticed that Ash was rubbing his left shoulder. That's the one Gary had kept his head on while sleeping. Gary felt really guilty about it, but Ash wasn't complaining.

Ash recalled Charizard into his Pokéball and then he and Gary marched into the Cerulean city gym.

"Misty!" Ash started shouting, the moment they were in the lobby of the gym, "Misty, are you here?"

"At the pool Ash!" a young woman's voice came from inside.

"Oh, obviously she must be training at the pool. She regularly trains pretty hard," Ash told Gary and then dragged him towards the pool area in excitement.

Gary was slowly remembering this gym, now that he thought of it. He had battled Misty's sister Lily for the Cascade badge and won. Although that wasn't much of an achievement given that Misty's sisters were hardly good at battling then.

They reached the pool area and there standing before them in her batting outfit was Misty. Gary was surprised to see that she had still kept her signature ponytail, although her hair was slightly longer than when they were kids. She was also much taller than Ash and Gary now.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu jumped into her arms the moment he spotted her.

"Hey, it's good to see you old buddy," she said, rubbing his cheeks. Then she turned towards Gary and Ash.

"Hey Ash! And nice to see you Gary," she said with a smile.

"Nice to see you too Misty," Gary replied.

"Ash, what is this I am hearing from Brock? You were attacked by some people? Why, what happened?" she asked him immediately.

Ash quickly rushed into telling her their story starting right from the book and ending at Water city aka Cerulean city.

While Ash recited the tale, Gary looked around the pool at Misty's Pokémon. He saw a Psyduck, Staryu, Starmie, Corsola, Polytoed, Luvdisc, Goldeen, and Azurill. All cute water-types. But he felt like something was missing. Misty was the strongest Gym-leader of Kanto now, aiming to join the Elite four soon, she wouldn't just have these cuties in her team. She must have some powerhouse that he was yet to see.

"Hmm, so Blaine told you about the Pokémon league that used to take place in this city five hundred years ago huh? Yeah I have heard of it," something in Misty's voice told Gary that she wasn't impressed.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked hurriedly.

"Oh, you know, just that I had gone to Kalos for a few weeks to train under Siebold, who is the water-specialist and also Elite Four member of Kalos league. And he had told me that the first Kalos league had taken place about eight hundred years ago," Misty told them.

"What?!" both Gary and Ash shouted in unison.

"Yeah, and there are photos and entire books and records about it. So it pretty much makes the Pokémon league over here seem almost contemporary in comparison," Misty said sarcastically.

"That can't be possible," Gary muttered.

"All our efforts were in vain. Now what will I tell the public?" Ash stammered.

"Just apologize to them. That's the right thing to do Ash. Ignore what Lance and the others are saying. You are the Pokémon Master. You should be making the call on this one," Misty said to him.

Gary could see why Misty was one of Ash's best friends. She didn't mince her words. And asked him to make the right choices, like any best friend would ask of you.

"Yeah, maybe, once I return to Pallet town, I'll issue an official apology. Lance and others be damned," Ash said.

Misty glanced out of her window and said, "Oh, it's almost dinner-time now. You two better stay the night here. You can leave for Pallet tomorrow."

"Does that mean we will have to eat your cooking?" Ash gasped.

"No, you idiot! I am going to order pizza for all of us," Misty told him.

"Erm, I can cook if that's not an issue," Gary offered. He was really in no mood to eat outside food tonight.

"Yeah, I have heard from Professor Oak that Gary's cooking is excellent!" Ash exclaimed.

"I have also heard that from Tracey," Misty said. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks at the mention of Tracey.

 Suddenly, Gary remembered.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I had forgotten about it in all this chaos. But congratulations to you and Tracey! He told me that you two are dating," Gary said.

"Oh yeah, I had also forgotten that you two are friends. Of course, he would mention it to you. Thanks by the way," Misty laughed.

"Whoa wait! You and Tracey?! When? How? I need to know all the details!" Ash almost danced with excitement.

"Calm down, Ash. First let me show the kitchen to Gary. Then while he is cooking, I can fill you in on all the details about me and Tracey," Misty said to him.

Misty showed Gary the kitchen and then left to gossip with Ash. Gary stared around the kitchen, it was really posh and pristine. Both Misty and Ash had requested a simple and light dinner of salad, so he got to work.

Just as he was chopping the veggies, he heard laughing from outside. Assuming that Misty was telling Ash about her and Tracey, he perked his ears up, to listen in more detail. But what he heard, broke his heart and shattered it into a million pieces.

"I still can't believe that Tracey is friends with Gary! Oh my Mew! I mean, imagine if he had seen Gary back when he was a jerk, Tracey would have sooo not liked him," Misty was saying.

"Gary is nice now though," Ash said.

"Yeah but remember his 'Smell ya later', and 'Gary was here, Ash is a loser'? Oh Arceus, he was hopeless back then!" Misty exclaimed.

"That's true," Ash laughed, "Gary was such a jerk. Although there was one good thing about the old Gary."

"The cheerleaders?" Misty smirked.

"Nah, the fact that he was good at battling and taking care of himself. You won't believe it, but I had to save Gary twice today," Ash told her. He then delved into a detailed narrative of how he had saved Gary both the times in a single day.

Ash's words made Gary feel as though someone had struck a dagger through his heart and twisted it. He dropped the chopping knife from his hand and ran out of the kitchen and out of the gym at super-fast speed. He could hear Ash, Pikachu and Misty calling behind him but he didn't stopped to turn and look back.

Tears were streaming down his face as he ran towards an almost empty park a little distance away from the gym and sat on a bench and started crying his heart out. Passers-by gave him weird looks but he didn't cared. What he had heard just now was enough to make him feel horrible.

He called Umbreon out of her Pokéball and whispered to her, "Am I that bad Umbreon? Even after so many years they still remember all those things. They laugh at me. Ash thinks I have became a bad battler. I don't want them to think like this!"

Umbreon nuzzled close to him and softly licked his tears. She made comforting noises which helped him to relax and he gently petted her on the head.

Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Gary looked up. It was Ash.

"Are you alright Gary? Why are you crying?" he asked concernedly.

"Don't act as if you care!" Gary shouted at him.

"Of course he cares! We came running all the way searching for you because you ran away like a mad-man," Misty said to him.

"I don't want to talk to you," Gary snapped at her.

"Then talk to me," Ash said, "Tell me what happened?" He sat down on the bench beside Gary and held his hand. Gary had no option but to speak to him now.

"I heard you and Misty talking about me. I heard all of it," Gary told him.

He saw Ash and Misty exchange a guilty look upon hearing his words. At least they had the decency to look ashamed, although Gary wondered whether they really felt that way.

"We were just joking about old times Gary. We didn't meant it seriously," Ash said.

"Yeah, we still joke about my bike too," Misty added.

"That's not the same. You were mocking me. And insulting me. And you think I am a bad battler," Gary said.

"No, I just think you need some practice with the outdoor environment. And maybe with battling too," Ash said, "Not that that makes you bad at battling," he hastily added. But by then, Gary had made up his mind.

"There is only one way I'll feel better now. I want a battle. Between the two of us," he said to Ash.

"What?!" Ash almost shouted looking surprised.

* * *

 

**Note:- Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave comment or kudos if you liked this as those are really encouraging! :) (The league plot isn't over yet. And Brock might come in the next chapter).**


	5. Breakups and Reunions

**Note:- Back with another chapter! Hope you all love it as usual. Thanks for the kudo! :)**

**Chapter five:- Breakups and Reunions**

* * *

 

Ash was shocked as hell for a few moments. Gary wanted to battle him? As like the old times as rivals or just as friends? Or was this to prove that he was a better battler because Ash's thoughtless comments had hurt him? But wasn't it literally impossible to beat Ash now? He had became the invincible Pokémon Master who cannot be defeated by anyone, much less a researcher who spends all his time holed up in his laboratory. Arceus knows whether Gary even trains anymore or not!

But it just wasn't in Ash's nature to decline any challenge thrown at him, whatever the circumstances may be.

"Sure, I would love to battle you. But I just want you to know that whatever the result of the battle maybe, I will always respect the amazing trainer you once were. The days of our old rivalry still inspire me," Ash was expecting Gary to become happy upon hearing his words. Instead, he saw a strange, lonely kind of sadness in Gary's eyes upon hearing those words.

"Let's battle," was all that Gary said.

"Okay," Ash replied. Whatever it took to make Gary happy again.

"Wait, you two are going to battle here? In this park?" Misty asked.

"Of course not Mist, when will the nice big pool in your gym be of use again, huh?" Ash asked her.

"Oh, but do you two have water-type Pokémon with you?" she asked.

"I always carry my Blastoise with me," Gary told her.

"And I have got something that will surprise you Gary," Ash said and winked at him. He had the faintest feeling that Gary blushed. Ash personally felt that Gary would look too cute if he blushed.

They returned back to the gym after that. All the while, Ash and Misty tactfully kept talking about all those times when Gary had helped them in Johto. This helped to cheer Gary up a little bit.

When they reached the stadium, Ash stood at one end and Gary at the other. Ash could feel a sense of nostalgia reenergizing him just at the thought of battling Gary again. Seeing him stand in front of him like this, with his face scrunched up in determination reminded Ash of their Johto league match. If he had to be honest, that was the most memorable match of his lifetime.

Misty took the position of judge and shouted, "Okay, this will be a one vs one match! Each player will use only one Pokémon! There is no time-limit! Now start!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled with excitement, electricity crackling from his cheeks.

"Blastoise go!" Gary shouted, and released his very first Pokémon.

The giant bluish turtle-like Pokémon came out of the Pokéball and jumped into the pool.

"It still looks so strong," Misty gasped with admiration.

"Thank you," Gary said politely.

"Now, watch this," Ash said, " Greninja go!"

His trusted giant frog-like Pokémon was released from its Pokéball and dived into the pool as well.

"Greninja always looks impressive," Misty admitted.

"This is hardly a surprise. I already knew you owned a Greninja Ash. All your Pokémon get sent at my lab for your kind information. Which also means that, I know Greninja's strengths and weaknesses," Gary told him.

"Well, then it will be an interesting challenge," Ash said.

Ash was waiting for Gary to start the first move, but after some time he realized that Gary was also doing the same. They both looked at each other and the corners of Gary's mouth twitched. No one could deny that the situation was funny.

Finally after a long waiting, Ash decided to take the bait and do the first attack, "Greninja, water pulse!" he commanded.

"Dodge, and retreat in your shell," Gary ordered Blastoise.

Alright, Gary was playing defensively. But he had forgotten that using the stadium to your advantage was one of Ash's greatest strengths. He would have to later on apologize to Misty for what he was going to do though.

"Greninja, dive under water and then use a water pulse!" Ash ordered.

Greninja immediately went under water and soon released a pulse of water that sent waves of water crashing all over the pool. Almost half the water spilt out of the pool and Misty yelled, "Ash Ketchum, I'll kill you!"

The force of the waves forced Blastoise out of its shell and it floated on its back on the surface of the pool. Before Gary had any time to order any attack, Ash quickly shouted,

"Double-team and then water shuriken!"

Greninja immediately multiplied into many copies of itself and before Blastoise could detect the real one, he moved quickly behind Blastoise and released a series of water shurikens.

Gary was left staring open-mouthed and wide-eyed as Blastoise fainted.

"Blastoise can no longer battle, Greninja has won the match!" Misty announced

"Yes!" Ash shouted. Winning against Gary still gave him a childish sense of victory. Of besting his rival. But the moment he turned to look at Gary, all of that happiness vanished away. Gary was crying once again. He had recalled Blastoise and was just standing there looking completely shocked.

"It's okay Gary," Misty said soothingly, "Even I can't beat Ash, and I am going to join Elite Four soon. And you are not even a battler anymore, so don't take the loss to heart."

But apparently it was the wrong thing to say, as Gary started crying harder.

"I train every day," he mumbled, "I have so much knowledge about Pokémon, but I guess I am still useless."

"Hey, don't say that. You did good. Ash, say something to comfort Gary," Misty asked of Ash.

But Ash was lost in a train of thoughts of his own. The whole not-being-a-battler thing had reminded him of someone. Someone he had once loved and cherished. And for whom he would have done anything.

So, instead of comforting, he glared at Gary and said, "You are right. You were completely useless in this battle. At this rate you can't even beat a gym leader forget about beating the Pokémon Master."

Gary gasped and stared at Ash in horror. He clearly hadn't expected such harsh words from his friend.

'But these harsh words are necessary', Ash thought to himself. He remembered what had happened last time. He had almost lost someone he loved dearly. And it was all because that person refused to improve her battling skills. Ash couldn't let it happen again. Not with anyone, and especially not with Gary.

"Alright, if you think I am useless than I'll just leave. As it is the league issue is solved now. You don't need me anymore," Gary muttered.

Misty grabbed Gary's hand and exclaimed, "You can't leave now, it's too late! At least wait till tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, it's dangerous to travel in the night," Ash said immediately.

Gary looked like he was getting sick of Ash being all worried about him. But was there really any other option? Ash was not going to let him just travel alone at night.

"Okay fine, but I am leaving first thing tomorrow morning," Gary told more to Misty than to Ash. It looked like he didn't even wanted to talk to Ash right now.

"Alright, I am ordering some delicious pizzas now. Let's just eat stuff and forget all this," Misty said and rushed out of the pool area. Gary gave Ash a long glowering glare before following Misty out of the room.

"Pikapi," Pikachu nuzzled close to him. At least his closest companion knew exactly what was bothering him.

He closed his eyes. The image of Gary almost falling into the red hot lava at Cinnabar Island flashed before him. It was followed by the image of Gary almost falling to his death from his Skarmory. And then he remembered a third memory. Of her.

Ash opened his eyes. He was almost close to tears now. He quickly recalled Greninja and rushed out of the room as well.

They had the most awkward dinner Ash had ever had in his lifetime. Ironically, Misty, who was well-known for her short-temper was the one cracking jokes and unsuccessfully trying to make them laugh. Ash was very quiet. While Gary had opened his phone and was pretending to be busy on it, only occasionally nodding at something that Misty would say.

The next day Gary announced that he was leaving early. He said goodbye to Misty and completely ignored Ash. Ash didn't blamed him either. He knew he had been too harsh and unkind yesterday, which was completely unlike him. It would most likely take some time for Gary to forgive him, and for Ash to summon up the courage and apologize to him.

Once he had left, Ash packed his bag and was just about to leave too, when Misty came hurrying into the main lobby and told him that Brock was on the phone.

"Hey Ash!" Brock greeted him, the moment he saw him, "Just wanted to make sure that you are fine after that whole league related problem that happened a few days ago."

"Yeah, I am alright," Ash lied.

"I know you are lying. But let's ignore it for the fact that you are coming to Pewter City and telling me everything in person," Brock said.

"Wait what?! When did I said I was coming to Pewter?" Ash shouted in surprise.

"Well Misty told me that your league issue has been resolved or whatever. And I want to catch up with both of you and show you some of my interesting finds," Brock said eagerly.

"Uh..." Ash started, he was still not hundred percent sure that the league matter was resolved. He was yet to offer an official apology. And he knew he wouldn't really be interested in Brock's supposedly interesting finds or whatever. But, he needed an out, a break from everything. So he agreed. "Fine, me and Misty will leave for Pewter immediately."

"That's like my best friends!" Brock exclaimed, "Waiting to see you two soon!" He then ended the call.

* * *

 

Gary reached Pallet town by evening. He was too nervous to use Skarmory again, so he went by the local bus. As soon as he opened the door of his house, he was enveloped in a tight, warm, bear hug.

"Tracey, let go!" he yelled, although he was hugging back equally hard.

"How was your clue hunt trip with your Ashy-boy eh?" Tracey asked, smirking mischievously.

"Awful. Disastrous. How was your visit to the Orange Islands?" Gary asked back.

"Awesome, as usual! But I know why your trip was a disaster, you couldn't find any proof, could you?" Tracey asked.

"Yeah. The earliest Pokémon league had taken place in Kalos over eight hundred years ago. That kind of settles the matter I guess," Gary told him.

"Who told you it was the earliest?" Tracey asked him.

"Misty, your girlfriend," Gary told him. He took pleasure in the way Tracey blushed upon hearing that.

"But did she specifically said that it was the earliest?" Tracey asked him.

Gary tried to remember. Misty hadn't said that exactly. "No, she didn't. But if it had taken place before the league that happened in Kanto five hundred years ago, then obviously," Gary left the sentence incomplete, as another thought struck him.

"Was there any other league in Kanto that is even older than the one in Kalos?" he asked Tracey.

"I have heard rumors about an ancient civilization called Pokélantis that existed near Pewter city, apparently more than a thousand years ago. And their king conducted a Pokémon league of their own," Tracey told him.

Gary felt like he could hug Tracey all over again. "How do you know this?" he asked excitedly.

"My grandmother is from Pewter City actually. So she knows about it as most locals in Pewter know," Tracey told him.

The researcher in Gary had woken up. "Let's go to this Pokélantis and explore," he said immediately.

"Whoa, wait, now? As in immediately?" Tracey asked looking surprised.

"Yeah, I'll talk to gramps for a few minutes, and then we'll catch the six-thirty bus to Pewter City. Let's do it!" Gary said feeling excited and useful. He wanted to prove to Ash that he wasn't useless.

* * *

 

It was late evening and Ash was getting really bored in the large living room of Brock's house. All of his siblings, except Forrest, had gone inside, to give the trio some privacy. Forrest was okay though, as by now, Ash and Misty knew him well enough.

Brock had finished showing them all of his medicinal plants and was now telling them where each plant came from. It wasn't until that Ash hastily stifled a yawn did Brock paused his train of botanical knowledge.

"I know you aren't really interested in all of this Ash. So let me just tell you the origins of one of my last plant. I promise that you'll find it interesting," he said.

Ash was feeling anything but interested, still, he nodded with a polite smile.

Brock produced an ancient looking plant and instead of explaining it's medicinal properties, got straight to the point, "This is found near the ruins of Pokélantis. You surely remember that tomb we had discovered?"

Ash suppressed a shiver. The king of Pokélantis still gave him nightmares sometimes.

"Wait, which tomb?" Misty asked.

"It is found near Pewter City," Forrest told her.

"I never knew about it!" she exclaimed.

"We were travelling with May and Max at that time," Ash told her.

"Oh, right," Misty said. Ash sometimes wondered whether his travelling companions liked each other or not. Although, Misty did seemed to like May and Max when they had met each other.

"So as I was saying, Pokélantis. That was the place where a Pokémon league used to be held, more than thousand years ago," Brock told them with a knowing smile.

Ash almost jumped from his seat. "Whaaat?!" he exclaimed.

"Now that's news to me," Misty said.

"If you want we can go and search that tomb for some proof now," Brock offered.

"No way, not at night. That place gives me the creeps. And the horrible memories. It's best if we wait till daybreak. Also, Brock, you are not coming with us. I only want battlers like Misty and Forrest with me," Ash said.

"What's that supposed to mean? I can take care of myself Ash," Brock spoke, sounding indignant.

"It's not up for discussion. I am the leader here and I get to chose who comes with me. I am not putting anyone else's life in danger," Ash said firmly and turned away from the others.

"You sound just like my fiancé Alyssa, she doesn't let me do anything dangerous either," Brock said.

"Eh, okay are you now comparing Ash with your fiancé? Because that's weird," Forrest said.

"No it's not. Besides, you guys might need my expert advice," Brock said.

"We'll be fine Brock," Ash assured him, "Me, Misty and Forrest can handle this. I promise."

It took a lot of coaxing and promising but finally Brock agreed to stay behind and let the battlers do all the work. He didn't looked happy about it though. And neither did Misty for that matter.

Later on, she pulled Ash aside and said to him, "What's wrong with you suddenly? Why are you insulting all the non-battlers? They aren't suddenly going to die just because they don't battle, you know that."

Ash looked at her and in a very grave tone said, "Sometimes, they might."

* * *

 

**Note:-Hope you loved the chapter! Next chapter would be slightly inspired from the 'King of Pokélantis' episode. Keep reading!**


	6. Battle in Pokélantis

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**Chapter 6:- Battle in Pokélantis**

* * *

 

At daybreak Ash, Misty and Forrest made their way towards the ruins of Pokélantis, leaving behind a reluctant and indignant Brock. Ash felt sorry for him. But he was determined to put his friend's safety first.

"The entrance is down this hole," Forrest who had visited the place many times in the last few years, told them. Ash was glad about having Forrest with them, as his memories of this place were a little hazy. Not that he was complaining about it.

Misty carefully lowered a rope into the hole and then tied an end around her waist. Ash and Forrest imitated her. The three of them then began to carefully descend down the hole into what initially felt like a dark abyss.

"I have got a torch for each one of us," Forrest told them, and handed the torches.

Ash carefully pressed the button on his torch and looked around. The walls of the tomb were covered in ruins. He saw an ancient Pikachu statue in the distance, and a wave of nostalgia hit him. He had picked up that statue like an idiot in the past.

He was just about to point that statue to Pikachu, when Forrest spoke up,

"Somebody's here. Look, there are fresh footprints over here. And a headband," Forrest showed them.

Ash stared at the footprints. They were indeed fresh. He wondered whoever might have came over here? 

Just then Misty gasped from behind him. "That's Tracey's headband!" she exclaimed.

"What?! Are you sure?" Ash asked her.

"Hundred percent positive. Plus, I think he might have known about this place. His grandma is from Pewter City," Misty told them.

"But why would Tracey be here?" Ash wondered.

Just then, they heard shrieks and screams of pain coming from inside the tomb. Someone was shouting, "Stop it! Stop it, this isn't you!"

"That's Tracey's voice," Misty said, now sounding extremely alert and worried.

"Let's go and check," Ash said the only words that came to his mind. They all ran in the direction of the screams and entered the main part of the tomb, where the statue of the king of Pokélantis was kept.

The scene before him shocked Ash to no extent. Tracey was tied with a rope and punching and kicking him mercilessly was none other than Gary himself.

"Gary, what are you doing?" Ash asked, shocked.

But the moment Gary turned to stare at Ash, the moment Ash looked in those eyes, he realized that this wasn't Gary. No, this was the very spirit that still gave him nightmares sometimes. Gary was possessed by the king of Pokélantis. Gary was surrounded by the dark aura of that king.

"Gary," was the only word that escaped Ash's lips.

"I recognize you foolish boy," Gary spoke, but in the voice of the king, "You have grown up but you are still the same immature, arrogant kid that you were when you violated my tomb the first time. Your friend here is no different. That's why possessing him was so easy."

"Leave Gary alone NOW!" Ash yelled.

"No, I will not. Now that I have a new, healthy body, I will rule over the world and capture Ho-Oh again," the King spoke.

A feeling of loss and dread enveloped Ash. He wanted to free Gary from that evil spirit. He tried to remember what Brandon had done to help him when he was possessed.

"Evil king, I challenge you to a battle," Ash said to him.

"If I win, I get to keep all your Pokémon," the king snarled.

"Fine with me," Ash said.

Misty grabbed his hand. "Ash, what are you doing? This isn't Gary, right? He has been possessed! You can't battle him in this state!"

"It's the only way to bring him back Mist," Ash told her reassuringly and turned to face the king.

"Pikachu go!" Ash said.

"I'll choose his most trusted Pokémon. Umbreon go!" the King said.

Ash looked sideways. Misty and Forrest were slowly edging closer to Tracey to free him.

"Umbreon, use shadowball on Pikachu," the king ordered.

"Pikachu, dodge and use tackle," Ash commanded.

Pikachu expertly dodged Umbreon's Shadowballs and then used a tackle. But Umbreon was too quick for him and dodged the tackle attack.

"Umbreon use hidden power," the king commanded.

Ash realized that the King of Pokélantis had an entirely different way of battling compared to Gary. Gary battled in a more defensive and cautious manner. Whereas the king battled quite aggressively, calling one attack after another.

"Pikachu, dodge and use iron tail!" Ash ordered.

"Hide behind those three fools!" the king commanded to Umbreon. Umbreon was taken aback upon hearing this. Pikachu also stopped in his tracks. Misty, Forrest and Tracey stared wide-eyed at Gary.

Ash remembered how he had behaved when he had been possessed. Gary was behaving exactly in the same manner. Brock had been there when Ash was possessed. He would have known what to do to get Gary back to normal. Ash really regretted asking Brock to stay back.

When the king realized that Umbreon was not obeying his orders, he sent out two more Pokémon.

"Blastoise, Skarmory, destroy the ceiling of this tomb!" he ordered.

Blastoise and Skarmory were initially confused, but they hadn't yet realized that their trainer had been possessed. So they followed his instructions.

Blastoise charged a giant hydro-pump at the old, battered ceiling. Whereas, Skarmory used steel wing on the ceiling.

Ash realizing that the ceiling would come crashing down any second, sent out one of his trusted old Pokémon, "Snorlax go!". The massive Pokémon came out of his Pokéball. Thankfully, he didn't looked hungry or sleepy, but ready to battle.

"Hold the ceiling Snorlax!" Ash asked of him. The Pokémon immediately obeyed. With his enormous strength, he was able to hold the ceiling quite easily and efficiently.

But in this whole mess, the king had recalled all of Gary's Pokémon, and had ran away with them. Ash sank to his knees and groaned. He was feeling completely frustrated and helpless. He wanted to help Gary but didn't knew how to do it.

"What's the point in feeling sorry now? You should have thought of the consequences before talking harshly to Gary," Tracey, who had been freed by Misty and Forrest, said to him.

"What?" Ash asked, feeling startled.

"Gary told me everything that you said to him in the Cerulean gym. He was clearly upset because of it. And your words pushed him into becoming so reckless that he jumped headfirst into this place and started picking up random objects without caring about whether they could be dangerous or something. You know Gary isn't like that. But he became like that because of your words," Tracey said sternly.

"Tracey that's enough. Don't accuse Ash for Gary's mistake please," Misty said to him.

Tracey looked hurt by her words. Like he hadn't expected her to take Ash's side over his.

"I think instead of fighting, we should first search for Gary," Forrest suggested.

"Yeah that's right! Me and Misty will look for him in the right, you and Tracey can search on the left," Ash told him.

He and Misty separated from Tracey and Forrest and began searching for Gary.

"Hey Mist, thanks for taking my side over there," Ash said to her.

"No problem Ash. I love Tracey but he can be an idiot at times," she said to him, "Actually, he is just like you when it comes to being an idiot."

"Is that why you are dating him?" Ash asked with a smirk, "Because he is like me?"

"Shut up Ketchum. Let's just focus on our mission right now," Misty said rolling her eyes.

They walked a little deeper into an underground tunnel, when they heard the King's voice. He was apparently yelling at Gary's Pokémon.

"You fools are all useless! Your trainer taught you nothing! But now you will become much more stronger under my training. And you better listen to me or else I'll hurt your trainer badly," the King of Pokélantis was warning Gary's Pokémon.

Ash and Misty rounded a corner and saw Umbreon, Blastoise, Skarmory, Arcanine and Electiwire staring at Gary/the King with fear in their eyes. They looked worried about the King hurting Gary. Ash had the same worries in his mind. But he knew he needed to do something.

"Gary!" he shouted, "Gary, I know you are in there! You need to fight his control Gary. I know how it feels. I know it hurts a lot. But you can do this. I believe in you."

* * *

 

 Pain. Absolute, terrorizing pain. And the painful fact that he was still somewhat conscious through this whole chaotic mess. He could literally feel the King's dirty, selfish, greedy and corrupted soul inside him. He saw the King's figure towering over him. Heard him mocking him, taunting him. Saying that he would never be able to regain control of his body back. How foolish of him to touch that stone without thinking? How reckless? How out of character for him?

He saw the King tie his friend Tracey using his own hands. He wanted to cry. He was hurting Tracey and he couldn't stop himself from doing it.

And then, he came. He had never felt so ashamed to be in Ash's presence before. Just what would Ash think of him now exactly? He had proven to Ash that every horrible thing he had said about Gary was true indeed. That Gary was indeed an useless person who couldn't do anything right.

And then the battle happened. The King was asking his Pokémon to do things Gary would never ask them to do. He had no way of knowing whether Ash and others had made it out of the collapsed roof safely or not, because by then the King had decided to flee the scene with his Pokémon.

Then the King started to shout and yell and terrorize his Pokémon. Gary felt extremely guilty about this. This was all his fault. If only he'd been a little more careful, a little more cautious.

And then he came again. He heard what Ash shouted at him. Those weren't insults or taunts but encouraging words. He wanted to help Gary get out of this, and he believed that Gary could do it.

Ash's words  encouraged him in a way that nothing else had ever done before.

"I won't let you win and control me," he spat at the king.

For a moment everyone was taken aback. But then the King regained control of Gary's body and said, "You really think you can fight me, you foolish, arrogant boy? I have been waiting to get a new body for the last millenium, and you here won't ruin my chances."

Everyone watched with shocked expressions, as Gary seemed to battle with himself. He was trying to overcome the king's control, but failing to do so.

Just then, someone grabbed him by his arms and turned him around. He found himself staring into the rich hazel eyes of Ash Ketchum.

"Look, I am going to do something. Sorry, if you don't like it. But I really think this might help," Ash said.

Before Gary knew what was happening, he felt Ash's soft lips against his own. Ash kissed him gently at first and then a little roughly, pulling him close. Gary was shocked at first, but then he found himself responding to the kiss and kissing back Ash with equal vigor.

After what felt like an eternity, they broke up. Gary was staring at Ash still feeling extremely shocked and confused, and probably a little pleased although he would never admit it, by the events that had just occurred.

"Feeling better?" Ash, who was panting heavily and looking a little shaken after the kiss, asked him.

Gary closed his eyes and tried to feel the soul of the king inside him. It wasn't there. It was as if the King had disappeared in thin air.

"Yeah, feeling much better. He is gone, all thanks to you," Gary said to him.

"The ideal way to get someone out of possession is to electrocute them. When I had been possessed, I had asked Pikachu to give a shock to me. But that was because I was highly used to thunderbolts by then, I don't know how much used to you are to electric shocks, so I decided to use another method. Sorry if you didn't liked it," Ash said sheepishly.

"The kiss was good. Might even date you if you ever ask me out. But for Arceus's sake stop worrying about me so much Ash! I have trained an Electiwire. I am used to electric shocks too," Gary spoke feeling angry.

"That's easy for you to say. Only the person whose friends get hurt knows how it feels," Ash spoke, his voice sounding brittle and ran away.

"Alright, now you have made him upset. You either apologize to him or face my wrath," Misty said to Gary.

Not being in any hurry to face Misty Waterflower's wrath, Gary hurriedly recalled all of his Pokemon and ran after Ash.

He finally found Ash, sitting on a rock, with his head bent down and tears flowing down his cheek. Not knowing what to do, he wrapped his arms around Ash and hugged him gently.

"Ash, what happened?" he asked.

"I am sorry," Ash said between sobs, "I was behaving like a jerk. First with you and then with Brock. But I couldn't help it. I was worried that you two might get hurt because you don't train enough. I just didn't wanted anyone to get hurt again."

"Hurt again? Who got hurt Ash?" Gary asked him.

Ash wiped his tears and faced Gary. He looked ashamed of himself for some reason. "You remember my ex-girlfriend Serena? She was there at your birthday party."

Gary nodded. He remembered the blond girl who had found his research to be pretty boring. He thought that was a little rude of her, but other than that she had been really sweet. Oh, and she had also baked a delicious cake and cookies for his birthday.

"Is she alright?" Gary asked him feeling worried all of a sudden. He remembered that the news of the break-up of the Pokémon Master and the Kalos Queen was all over the news channels. But he hadn't wanted to be nosey about Ash's private life, so he hadn't asked him anything about it.

Ash shook his head. "Back then I had thought that I had defeated all the evil teams once and for all. But apparently, Team Flare was still active. They kidnapped Serena to get back at me and tortured her. It was weeks until we could find her again. She was badly shaken by that incident. I didn't wanted her to get hurt because of me anymore so I decided to break up with her."

"And did you ever asked her whether she wanted to break up too?" Gary asked him.

"At first she didn't wanted to. But later on we started having fights and disagreements. I wanted her to train and learn battling so that she could defend herself if such a situation arises again. But she thought it was the job of the bodyguards, and just because they had failed once doesn't mean that they would fail again," Ash told him.

Gary realized that he was actually on Serena's side in this one. It wasn't as if they lived in some sort of dystopian society after all. If someone didn't wanted to learn battling it was the job of bodyguards and Officer Jennys to protect them. But he didn't had the heart to explain this to a crying Ash right now. So he just hugged Ash tighter and whispered,

"This is why you were so concerned about me huh? And Brock as well? Don't worry Ashy, nothing will happen to us. We can look after ourselves. And if we fail, you are always going to be there to protect us. If not with your Pokémon, then with a kiss," Gary said with a smile.

Ash blushed upon hearing that.

"You really seem to have liked that kiss?" he asked in a mischievous tone.

"I sure wouldn't mind doing it again," Gary teased back.

There was a moment when Ash stared into his eyes. He looked as though he was wondering whether Gary was joking or not. Gary himself wondered whether he was joking or not.

But then that moment was gone and they heard Misty's voice, and three sets of footsteps rushing towards them.

"Ash! Gary! Over here!" she shouted.

They got up and ran in the direction of the voice. Misty was standing near the statue of the king. Forrest and Tracey were crouching down and staring at some piece of parchment roll.

"Where did you found it?" Gary asked them, hurrying towards the roll of parchment.

"Behind the statue. It was very cleverly hidden, but nothing escapes my watchful eyes," Tracey beamed proudly.

Gary took it from him and gasped in surprise. "Look Ash! There's a drawing of what looks like a stadium with a Venusaur and Rhydon battling in it. And below is written, a drawing of the first match of 'Pokélantis Pokémon League'."

"You can read that language?" Ash asked admiringly.

"Yep, I have learned a lot of ancient languages over the years. It comes handy while digging up fossils and ancient Pokémon civilizations. Although I never learnt the language of Pokélantis specifically, but a lot of ancient civilizations had similar letters used in their languages. That's why I could read it. We can take this to Gramps for further decoding," Gary said to Ash.

"That would be wonderful Gary! You are really so smart!" Ash exclaimed.

Gary felt his heart swell with pride upon hearing this praise from Ash. He now realized that his rivalry with Ash was really two-ways. Both of them strived to impress the other and felt giddy with happiness when the other praised them.

"Hold on guys, you know what? The way they have used the term 'Pokémon league' really makes me feel doubtful. How did they know this term? Did it already exist even before the time of Pokélantis?" Misty expressed her doubts.

"We can worry about that later Mist. First let's just get out of this creepy place. I don't want to stay here any longer," Ash said.

"Me neither," Gary added.

So their group of five left the ruins of Pokélantis behind and headed back to Brock's home in Pewter City. Brock was very surprised to see Gary and Tracey with Ash, Misty and Forrest, but welcomed both of them to stay the night as well.

They talked about the ruins of Pokélantis and Kanto's history till late night, and Gary was glad to see Ash in a happier mood by bedtime.

In the morning, they all packed their bags. Ash, Gary and Tracey got ready to return back to Pallet, whereas Misty was going to head back to Cerulean. But just then Ash received a phone-call from someone. The way he hurriedly left the room to talk to that person indicated that it must be someone important.

He returned after a few minutes and announced, "Gary, I got a phone-call from Alder, the Champion of Unova region. He wants the two of us to meet him as soon as possible."

A shocked silence greeted Ash's words.

* * *

 

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